People Australia

John Stanley Palmer (1926-2001)

Born: 7 August 1926, Windsor N.S.W. Son of Stanley, carpenter-builder and Una Williams, netbraider. Married Helen Ursula Finch, 1957.

• Educated at Wilberforce Public School; moved with family to Victoria;
• Improver-carpenter, Kiewa hydro-electric project Victoria; became Minute Secretary at first union meeting at age 15;
• Joined Communist Party at age of 16; active in party until mid-1950s;
• Served in RAAF during WWII;
• Returned to Kiewa to complete improvership; Short spell as carpenter, Warragamba Dam NSW 1946 before returning to Kiewa; Organiser, Country Victoria  Building Workers Industrial Union (BWIU) 1952-53; Carpenter and BWIU rep. Warragamba 1954-64;
• Very active with F.R. Greentree in interunion solidarity at Warragamba, chairing Combined Unions Committee and instrumental in sale of township houses to their residents; Promoted to overseer, and later Construction Inspector, 1964 and joined Salaried Officers' Division of Water Board Union;
• Held many positions within Salaried Division, including President, Vice-President of ACSPA, NSW; Alternative member of NSW Crown Employees' Appeals Board and employee representative on Water Board, June 1980.

Sydney Water Board Journal, July 1980; P. Sheldon thesis; Interview with John Palmer 19 Feb. 1993